3 Defensive Dividend ETFs to Mitigate a Possible Market Decline
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 08 2026
0mins
Should l Buy VZ?
Source: Barron's
Market Performance: The S&P 500 has experienced three consecutive years of double-digit returns, indicating a strong market performance during this period.
Investment Strategy: Dividend investors are encouraged to explore strategies that can provide more downside protection for their portfolios in light of potential market fluctuations.
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Analyst Views on VZ
Wall Street analysts forecast VZ stock price to fall
14 Analyst Rating
4 Buy
10 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 50.710
Low
43.00
Averages
46.42
High
51.00
Current: 50.710
Low
43.00
Averages
46.42
High
51.00
About VZ
Verizon Communications Inc. is a holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, provides communications, technology, information and streaming products and services to consumers, businesses and government entities. Its Consumer segment provides wireless and wireline communications services. It also provides fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband through its 5G or 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks portfolio. The Company's Business segment provides wireless and wireline communications services and products, including FWA broadband, data, video and advanced communication services, corporate networking solutions, security and managed network services, local and long-distance voice services and network access to deliver various Internet of Things (IoT) services and products. It provides these products and services to businesses, public sector customers and wireless and wireline carriers across the U.S. and a subset of these products and services to customers around the world.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Portfolio Adjustment: Selling Three Major Stocks
- Verizon Underperformance: Despite Verizon's stock rising 25% in 2026, its revenue growth has not exceeded 6% annually for 16 years, and future growth is projected to fall below 2% over the next four years, prompting my decision to sell and free up capital.
- Target Sales Decline: Target has faced three consecutive years of declining sales, and although its stock rose nearly 25% in 2026, I chose to sell to make room for other investments, despite the hope brought by a new CEO.
- Baidu's Weak Growth: Baidu's stock surged 35% over the past year, yet it has posted negative revenue growth in three of the last four years, with analysts predicting lower profit targets for the next two years, leading me to sell in search of faster-growing alternatives.
- Market Volatility Influences Decisions: In the context of market turbulence, I opted to sell these three stocks at high valuations to reallocate my portfolio into more attractive opportunities, even though they had previously served as my
See More
Investor Sells Shares in Verizon, Target, and Baidu
- Verizon's Underperformance: Despite a nearly 25% stock price increase in 2026, Verizon has not exceeded 6% annual revenue growth in 16 years, with future growth projected to fall below 2% over the next four years, indicating persistent financial weakness that may undermine investor confidence.
- Target's Price Fluctuation: Target's stock also rose nearly 25% after three consecutive years of declining sales, but the new CEO's turnaround plan will take time, and while the stock shows short-term strength, its long-term growth potential remains uncertain.
- Baidu's Weak Growth: As China's leading search engine, Baidu has posted negative revenue growth in three of the past four years; although its stock is slightly down in 2026, it surged 35% over the past year, reflecting market interest in Chinese tech companies.
- Portfolio Adjustment: Amid market volatility, the investor chose to sell these three stocks to reallocate their portfolio, as despite their short-term performance, the long-term growth prospects are unclear, prompting a search for alternatives with greater growth potential.
See More
Morgan Stanley Bullish on Multiple Tech Companies Post Conference
- Deepening AI Discussions: At Morgan Stanley's tech conference in San Francisco, nearly every company delved into their AI strategies, indicating a significant shift towards deeper AI deployment across multiple business units, reflecting the market's heightened focus on AI technologies.
- Optimistic Outlook for Amazon: Analysts set a $300 price target for Amazon, believing its high-margin businesses will drive greater profits and support investments in last-mile delivery and cloud services, despite a recent 7% stock drop due to quarterly earnings misses.
- Strong Demand for Nvidia: Morgan Stanley remains bullish on Nvidia, with analysts noting robust demand for its Blackwell chip series, which is expected to continue pushing upward estimates, while the upcoming Rubin platform is anticipated to maintain Nvidia's leadership in AI computing architecture.
- Growth Potential for Spotify: Analysts highlight Spotify's 15% penetration in the global smartphone market of 3 billion, alongside its advertising business being just a fraction of the $20 billion global radio ad market, indicating substantial future growth opportunities, especially as user engagement continues to rise.
See More
Ford Launches AI System to Enhance Commercial Vehicle Efficiency
- AI System Launch: Ford has introduced the new 'Ford Pro AI' system, capable of monitoring and analyzing over 1 billion data points daily, aimed at enhancing the efficiency and profits of its 840,000 paid commercial subscribers while reducing vehicle downtime.
- Significant User Growth: Ford's Pro business saw a 30% increase in subscribers last year, indicating strong demand in the commercial vehicle market, which further drives the diversification of software revenue, aligning with the CEO's strategic goal of achieving 20% software revenue.
- Revenue and Profit Performance: Ford Pro reported $66 billion in revenue and $6.8 billion in earnings last year, achieving a profit margin of 10.3%, demonstrating robust performance and profitability in the commercial market, supporting future investments and technology upgrades.
- Technical Foundation and Expansion Plans: The AI system is built on Google Cloud, and Ford plans to continuously expand its capabilities based on customer needs, ensuring it can meet the evolving market demands and further solidify its competitive advantage in the commercial vehicle sector.
See More
Market Rebounds Amid Tech Stock Developments
- Market Rebound: Stocks opened lower on Tuesday but quickly rebounded after President Trump's comments hinted at a potential end to the Iran conflict, with West Texas Intermediate crude falling 10.5% to around $85 per barrel, reflecting the market's sensitivity to geopolitical risks.
- Nvidia Hardware Launch Expectations: Ahead of its annual GPU Tech Conference, Nvidia shares rose 1.6%, with analysts anticipating the launch of new hardware, particularly a new chip for training AI models, which could serve as a positive catalyst for the stock.
- Corning Stock Surge: Corning's shares jumped 7.6% following AT&T's announcement of a $250 billion investment over the next five years to build high-speed networks, positioning Corning favorably due to its leadership in optical fiber and cable manufacturing.
- Investor Caution Advised: Jim Cramer cautioned investors to be aware of market volatility, particularly how presidential comments could significantly impact the market, suggesting a need for caution in the short term to navigate potential uncertainties.
See More
Analysis of VLUE ETF's 52-Week Price Fluctuations
- Price Range Analysis: The VLUE ETF's 52-week low is $91.80 per share, with a high of $154.31, and the latest trade at $146.48 indicates relative stability in a volatile market, potentially attracting risk-averse investors.
- Technical Analysis Tool: Comparing the latest share price to the 200-day moving average provides valuable insights for investors, helping them assess market trends and optimize investment timing, thereby enhancing decision-making.
- ETF Trading Mechanism: Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) trade like stocks, where investors buy and sell 'units' that can be created or destroyed based on demand, offering flexibility that makes ETFs ideal for diversified portfolios.
- Liquidity Monitoring: Weekly monitoring of changes in shares outstanding allows for tracking significant inflows (new units created) or outflows (old units destroyed), which impacts the ETF's underlying holdings and can influence market performance and investor confidence.
See More
Portfolio Adjustment: Selling Three Major Stocks
- Verizon Underperformance: Despite Verizon's stock rising 25% in 2026, its revenue growth has not exceeded 6% annually for 16 years, and future growth is projected to fall below 2% over the next four years, prompting my decision to sell and free up capital.
- Target Sales Decline: Target has faced three consecutive years of declining sales, and although its stock rose nearly 25% in 2026, I chose to sell to make room for other investments, despite the hope brought by a new CEO.
- Baidu's Weak Growth: Baidu's stock surged 35% over the past year, yet it has posted negative revenue growth in three of the last four years, with analysts predicting lower profit targets for the next two years, leading me to sell in search of faster-growing alternatives.
- Market Volatility Influences Decisions: In the context of market turbulence, I opted to sell these three stocks at high valuations to reallocate my portfolio into more attractive opportunities, even though they had previously served as my
See More
Investor Sells Shares in Verizon, Target, and Baidu
- Verizon's Underperformance: Despite a nearly 25% stock price increase in 2026, Verizon has not exceeded 6% annual revenue growth in 16 years, with future growth projected to fall below 2% over the next four years, indicating persistent financial weakness that may undermine investor confidence.
- Target's Price Fluctuation: Target's stock also rose nearly 25% after three consecutive years of declining sales, but the new CEO's turnaround plan will take time, and while the stock shows short-term strength, its long-term growth potential remains uncertain.
- Baidu's Weak Growth: As China's leading search engine, Baidu has posted negative revenue growth in three of the past four years; although its stock is slightly down in 2026, it surged 35% over the past year, reflecting market interest in Chinese tech companies.
- Portfolio Adjustment: Amid market volatility, the investor chose to sell these three stocks to reallocate their portfolio, as despite their short-term performance, the long-term growth prospects are unclear, prompting a search for alternatives with greater growth potential.
See More
Morgan Stanley Bullish on Multiple Tech Companies Post Conference
- Deepening AI Discussions: At Morgan Stanley's tech conference in San Francisco, nearly every company delved into their AI strategies, indicating a significant shift towards deeper AI deployment across multiple business units, reflecting the market's heightened focus on AI technologies.
- Optimistic Outlook for Amazon: Analysts set a $300 price target for Amazon, believing its high-margin businesses will drive greater profits and support investments in last-mile delivery and cloud services, despite a recent 7% stock drop due to quarterly earnings misses.
- Strong Demand for Nvidia: Morgan Stanley remains bullish on Nvidia, with analysts noting robust demand for its Blackwell chip series, which is expected to continue pushing upward estimates, while the upcoming Rubin platform is anticipated to maintain Nvidia's leadership in AI computing architecture.
- Growth Potential for Spotify: Analysts highlight Spotify's 15% penetration in the global smartphone market of 3 billion, alongside its advertising business being just a fraction of the $20 billion global radio ad market, indicating substantial future growth opportunities, especially as user engagement continues to rise.
See More
Ford Launches AI System to Enhance Commercial Vehicle Efficiency
- AI System Launch: Ford has introduced the new 'Ford Pro AI' system, capable of monitoring and analyzing over 1 billion data points daily, aimed at enhancing the efficiency and profits of its 840,000 paid commercial subscribers while reducing vehicle downtime.
- Significant User Growth: Ford's Pro business saw a 30% increase in subscribers last year, indicating strong demand in the commercial vehicle market, which further drives the diversification of software revenue, aligning with the CEO's strategic goal of achieving 20% software revenue.
- Revenue and Profit Performance: Ford Pro reported $66 billion in revenue and $6.8 billion in earnings last year, achieving a profit margin of 10.3%, demonstrating robust performance and profitability in the commercial market, supporting future investments and technology upgrades.
- Technical Foundation and Expansion Plans: The AI system is built on Google Cloud, and Ford plans to continuously expand its capabilities based on customer needs, ensuring it can meet the evolving market demands and further solidify its competitive advantage in the commercial vehicle sector.
See More
Market Rebounds Amid Tech Stock Developments
- Market Rebound: Stocks opened lower on Tuesday but quickly rebounded after President Trump's comments hinted at a potential end to the Iran conflict, with West Texas Intermediate crude falling 10.5% to around $85 per barrel, reflecting the market's sensitivity to geopolitical risks.
- Nvidia Hardware Launch Expectations: Ahead of its annual GPU Tech Conference, Nvidia shares rose 1.6%, with analysts anticipating the launch of new hardware, particularly a new chip for training AI models, which could serve as a positive catalyst for the stock.
- Corning Stock Surge: Corning's shares jumped 7.6% following AT&T's announcement of a $250 billion investment over the next five years to build high-speed networks, positioning Corning favorably due to its leadership in optical fiber and cable manufacturing.
- Investor Caution Advised: Jim Cramer cautioned investors to be aware of market volatility, particularly how presidential comments could significantly impact the market, suggesting a need for caution in the short term to navigate potential uncertainties.
See More
Analysis of VLUE ETF's 52-Week Price Fluctuations
- Price Range Analysis: The VLUE ETF's 52-week low is $91.80 per share, with a high of $154.31, and the latest trade at $146.48 indicates relative stability in a volatile market, potentially attracting risk-averse investors.
- Technical Analysis Tool: Comparing the latest share price to the 200-day moving average provides valuable insights for investors, helping them assess market trends and optimize investment timing, thereby enhancing decision-making.
- ETF Trading Mechanism: Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) trade like stocks, where investors buy and sell 'units' that can be created or destroyed based on demand, offering flexibility that makes ETFs ideal for diversified portfolios.
- Liquidity Monitoring: Weekly monitoring of changes in shares outstanding allows for tracking significant inflows (new units created) or outflows (old units destroyed), which impacts the ETF's underlying holdings and can influence market performance and investor confidence.
See More
